BlueCat Integrity Reviews

The purpose of the solution is to provide DNS, DHCP, and icon services for the corporation and all subsidiaries. 

I like that it's a single source of truth for us. We automate against it. We use APIs against it due to the fact that it is where the data is. The solution provides a single pane of glass view. And we use it as a single source of truth. It’s crucial for us.

It’s flexible. The tool can certainly be customized to no end. You can make a lot of stuff work if you're willing to divert from the standard options, which of course then brings the risk that you're not running the planned configuration. We have a few border cases, so we actually do that.

The solution helped our organization reduce downtime. Compared to where it was before, even if it's a very theoretical question, I’d say the downtime has decreased.

BlueCat Integrity helped us consolidate tools or applications. Through an API and having the data there we were able to build some tools that have allowed us to get rid of a lot of other tools.

It is not that easy to use. It's not rocket science, however, even compared to other products in the BlueCat portfolio, it's one of the most complicated.

The big downside of the customization is when there are new releases and you have to customize all of it again since you’ve diverted from the standard.

One of my biggest criticisms is that you need additional pieces of software. Competitors have a lot of these things built into one solution. BlueCat doesn't. I need additional resources to actually do things. You actually need a lot of add-ons from the solution's portfolio. While some of them are provided, most you have to pay for separately. In reality, they should just be part of the product.

The reporting capabilities need improvement. It holds a lot of information, and that information is easily accessible in the tool and through API. However, for instance, the moment anybody who is not a user of the product asks me for some information and I just want to run a report to hand back to them or something like that, it gets utterly complicated. 

Quite a few times we have not been able to pull reports out of the tool and provide them.  

Usability needs to be better. The main structure basically hasn't changed in years. It's got a bit polished, however, it doesn't really have a modern UI-based tool. That said, the product is being used by IT professionals. Still, sometimes the old design makes things unnecessary and difficult.

I've been using the solution for four years now. 

BlueCat is stable. 

The solution is scalable in multiple ways. There are lots of ways to scale. 

While we did not exactly use anything else from the DDI side, we were using Windows DNS.

The main reason for the adoption of this product was to have one centralized management system. That was one of the key drivers. Also, we wanted visibility and stability for having that single source of truth.

We're running one special environment that is fully deployed in the cloud, and our main environment is deployed on-prem remotely.

It's easy to deploy on-prem and even easier to deploy the cloud version. Our migration team deployed the solution. They were comprised of three people. It took us a year to deploy, however, we had to make the whole transition to remote work first. 

We use the solution globally. We have it across a few production campus facilities and 25 subsidiaries globally. 

We have to run the updates. We're on our own for that. We basically do the data. When we get the notifications, we go into scheduling the when, what, and how internal testing will take place. We plan to do all of this in-house.

Of course, we have to monitor the devices themselves. They sometimes act up, and sometimes the product does not report certain issues efficiently and then we have to dig into the log file. There is a lot of proactive maintenance in that regard. The good thing is that the product is so standardized and open. At the end of the day, of course, I would prefer not to have to do it. 

BlueCat helped with implementation. During the design phase, we had some workshops with them and they provided good insights and best practices.

We have witnessed an ROI while using the product. The ROI mainly comes from the initiative itself, including centralizing data and having automated server deployment. We've saved money across a variety of products, so it's hard to pinpoint an exact number. 

We are paying for an enterprise license. I'm not aware of the exact cost. The pricing, as far as I understand it, is fair. It's not cheap and also not expensive. 

We use the API to do certain calls, however, not with ServiceNow or any other ITSM. It's more for other really technical tools that need specific kinds of information. We don’t really do integrations.

To anyone at an organization who doesn't think they need a full stack integrated management solution, I'd say, actually, this is an absolute must-have. Automation really is the biggest driver. I could not see how someone could ever do any meaningful automation without having this kind of platform. Also in terms of security, it's important for security initiatives. You simply need to have the visibility of your network. That's another big one. 

If a person is interested in the solution, it's important to evaluate the product. Look for a reference customer and dig into the possibilities of the product.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

It primarily serves as our DNS solution.

The insight into the overall health of our network, particularly in terms of DNS functionality, is positive. This visibility proves invaluable when troubleshooting and resolving issues. It provides a holistic view, including information on DNS and DHCP services, making it a thorough and effective tool for monitoring and managing DNS functionality.

DNS security is safeguarded comprehensively from end to end.

It offers a unified view of our IP address space through a single pane of glass. Whether using IPM or Integrity with DNS, you can easily correlate and match all assigned IPs with the DNS configuration. This integration ensures that each IP address in IPM corresponds to a DNS name, providing comprehensive visibility.

It has been seamlessly integrated with various IT operation manager platforms, including SolarWinds. While it might not be accurate to label the integration with Integrity as direct, it's apt to say that our BlueCat solution is monitored by SolarWinds. Additionally, for internet access, such as reaching domains like Google.com, we rely on Cisco Umbrella.

It helped us in minimizing human errors by facilitating automation through the use of scripts.

The design with BlueCat ensures minimal downtime as it is highly redundant. In the event of a server failure, multiple servers seamlessly handle the traffic, making the occurrence of downtime highly improbable.

It did not contribute to the consolidation of any previously used tools or applications.

It assisted in saving time for other projects.

One of the standout features of BlueCat is its foundation on Linux, making it one of the earliest DNS solutions. This inherent stability, derived from its Linux-based architecture, provides a well-established and reliable platform. Once you become familiar with the technology, managing it becomes straightforward.

It primarily supports DNS high availability failover when the servers share the same subnet. However, it does not offer robust support for high availability failover with different subnets, especially if the servers are located in different data centers and belong to distinct IP networks. In such cases, setting up high availability becomes challenging, often requiring manual failovers.

We have been using it for approximately five months.

There were no stability issues.

It provides good scalability capabilities.

I am satisfied with its customer service and support. I would rate it eight out of ten.

We were using NS-1 previously but decided to switch, primarily because IBM acquired the company, and subsequently, they discontinued the solution.

The initial setup was somewhat challenging, but it wasn't overly difficult.

The deployment process spanned approximately two months. The overall project required four resources, including roles such as design and project management, to complete it.

I am not sure about the exact pricing, but I believe their cost is lower compared to Infoblox.

The previous solution reached its end, leading the vendor to discontinue the service. During the customer review, we evaluated options between BlueCat and Infoblox.

For a medium-sized company, having a DNS solution is essential. Whether it's BlueCat, Infoblox, or another option, it's crucial for smooth operations. While it's technically possible to work with Linux Spine or other solutions like F5 DNS, they are often challenging to manage due to the absence of a graphical user interface. Having a dedicated DNS solution tailored for medium-sized companies, like BlueCat, is indispensable for scalability and efficiency. Before implementing BlueCat, it's advisable to ensure that employees undergo training. You may consider requesting an evaluation license from BlueCat to set up a lab for training resources dedicated to working on the BlueCat DNS solution. Additionally, exploring a POC could be beneficial. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We use BlueCat Integrity for IP networking.

BlueCat Integrity is easy to learn and use. It provides a single pane of glass view for our IP address space. The Single pane of glass is important because it allows us to manage our large environment in one place.

It has helped reduce human error by 70 percent and has helped reduce downtime by 80 percent.

We have been able to free up staff time to focus on other projects and tasks.

BlueCat Integrity's automation capabilities saved us around 80 percent of our time.

It has improved our network stability and has saved us around 40 percent of our costs.

BlueCat Integrity's scalability and user-friendliness are the most valuable features.

BlueCat Integrity can improve by increasing the amount of updates it releases.

I have been using BlueCat Integrity for two years.

I would rate the stability of BlueCat Integrity ten out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of BlueCat Integrity ten out of ten.

BlueCat's technical support is knowledgeable and quick to respond.

Positive

The initial deployment is straightforward.

BlueCat Integrity is affordable.

I would rate BlueCat Integrity nine out of ten.

We have five users within our organization.

Our client is an enterprise organization.

I recommend BlueCat Integrity to others.

We use BlueCat Integrity to deliver DNS service to our customers.

We use the solution throughout our entire network environment.

BlueCat Integrity has an intuitive interface, making it easy to use.

It offers a unified view of our IP address space through a single-pane-of-glass interface. The unified view is essential because we can implement all the solutions while having visibility in this dashboard.

BlueCat Integrity is highly flexible. It can be used in a wide range of situations and offers numerous options for integration.

BlueCat Integrity has helped us accelerate the product implementation process and reduce the time spent on DNS.

We have saved around five hours a week per technician for troubleshooting because it is all done automatically now. This frees up their time to focus on other security products.

Since implementing BlueCat Integrity we have not had any downtime in the network.

The most valuable feature is the IPAMs, which provide visibility into all the IP addresses on the network.

The technical support is slow and has room for improvement.

I have been using BlueCat Integrity for two years.

BlueCat Integrity is highly stable.

BlueCat Integrity's technical support is unsatisfactory because they are slow to respond, and we consistently find ourselves having to reiterate our issues to them. That is why we opt for partner support instead.

Negative

We previously used Azure DNS and switched to BlueCat Integrity because it offered better visibility into the IPs.

Compared to Microsoft, BlueCat Integrity is an enterprise DNS solution that provides us with peace of mind and enables us to concentrate on other tasks without experiencing any failures.

The implementation took slightly longer compared to the implementations we have completed for other products.

We used an implementation partner service.

We have witnessed a return on investment within two years of implementing BlueCat Integrity.

Compared to other solutions, BlueCat Integrity offers a competitive price.

I give BlueCat Integrity a ten out of ten.

Our company includes sixteen OS staff who use the solution for segment server management and ILO code. 

Of the twenty-four segments available, we currently use four. 

The solution includes automatic management of segments. 

The solution does not export reports in a comprehensive format that allows us to see usage, administrators, VLAN, and backups. 

A reporting format similar to Infoblox would be beneficial because theirs include VLAN and function information, LAN or WAN determinations, number of segments, usage, and backups. 

I have been using the solution for one year. 

The solution is stable. 

The solution is scalable.

I would prefer the last sixteen management segments be handled through Infoblox because it is better at scaling. 

Technical support is knowledgeable but responses are often delayed. 

Neutral

The initial setup is straightforward. 

Ongoing administration includes reinitiating a license that includes technical support. 

Infoblox provides better scaling and includes reports with functional information that is comprehensive. 

I rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

We replaced our legacy solution used to manage our network with BlueCat Integrity, a vendor-backed solution.

BlueCat Integrity is easy to use for end users and not difficult for administrators. I have used much more difficult solutions that are not directly related to DDI. For end users, the solution is intuitive on a daily basis.

It provides a single pane of glass view for our IP address space, which is important for our organization.

BlueCat Integrity is flexible and user-friendly for our end users.

BlueCat Integrity has helped improve our organization by simplifying the end user's experience and improving our integration with third parties. 

Managing our DDI infrastructure globally is simple, and BlueCat's personalized relationship with us is valuable to our organization.

The interface is good, better than what we were used to.

The integration has room for improvement.

Everything related to automation can be improved.

The deployment process needs to be simplified.

I have been using BlueCat Integrity for ten years.

Yes. In-house built solution, lacking lots of features, complex to support and almost impossible to evolve or enhance with new functionalities (e.g.: IPv6 support)

The deployment took around three years because we were migrating from our pre-existing in-house tool.

The solution was deployed through an in-house team with support from BlueCat's professional services, who played a critical role in the success of our migration.

I would rate BlueCat Integrity eight out of ten.

I mainly use Adaptive DNS for IP address management.

Adaptive DNS's best feature is DDoS protection, which stops malware and network security attacks.

Adaptive DNS only supports AWS for network automation and cloud computing and would be improved if it also supported other options like Azure or Google Cloud. In the next release, Adaptive DNS should add an option for users to migrate their IPv4 versions to v6 via cloud apps.

I've been using BlueCat Adaptive DNS for five years.

Adaptive DNS is very stable.

Adaptive DNS is scalable.

BlueCat's technical support is very good.

Positive

We also use Infoblox, but Adaptive DNS is more stable and secure.

The initial setup was very easy and could be handled even by an undergraduate engineer. The deployment time is fast, but it depends on the number of networks being used - a single network takes hardly ten minutes, but a hundred would take an hour to ninety minutes.

Adaptive DNS's price depends on your network ranges, the services you want, and the level of support you require.

I would advise other users to go for Adaptive DNS without hesitation, and I'd rate it nine out of ten.